Planetary rovers cure their own ills

FUTURE missions to Mars and the moon will use robotic rovers that essentially think for themselves. Built using sophisticated hardware and software, the rovers will be able to decide when they are in trouble, how to solve the problem, and take steps to protect themselves against catastrophe.

The principle has already been proven by the Mars rover Spirit, which NASA spectacularly revived on the surface of the Red Planet earlier this year. In what NASA calls a "prescient design decision" it equipped Spirit and its twin, Opportunity, with the capability to diagnose and respond to certain faults. It was a decision that saved Spirit from an ignominious end.

The successful rescue means that intelligent fault-protection technology is set for far wider use. First up will be a NASA rover called the Mars Science Laboratory, planned for launch in 2009. It will attempt a hazardous 20-kilometre drive across the planet's surface ...

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